


Breathe With Me

by LoveBeyete (Milque)



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gen, Hurt, M/M, Mild Gore, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milque/pseuds/LoveBeyete
Summary: Blaze sends Silver back in time to get the Sol Emeralds in order to seal Iblis away. On his mission, he runs into a certain mysterious chameleon, who then proceeds to get in his way. That is until he learns of the hedgehog's goal.The crew is helping Silver find the Sol Emeralds as he learns how to trust people and how to appreciate the world around him when everything he knows is going down in flames.
Relationships: Espio the Chameleon/Silver the Hedgehog
Comments: 12
Kudos: 75





	1. The Sol Emeralds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Hi!!**  
>  This is my first attempt at writing a multi-chapter fic in years! I hope I'll manage to stay motivated enough to finish this one, because I'm really fired up for this story I want to tell!! c;
> 
> This story takes place in a universe, where 06 never happened. Here, Blaze, as well as Iblis, is originally from the Sol Dimension, and they're the only ones in this (Chaos) dimension who are capable of controlling the Sol Emeralds.
> 
> The characters, ships and other tags will be updated gradually as the story goes. The main focus of the story will be the bond between Silver and Espio, but there might be slight hints of other ships in the background, and they will be tagged as well (in the tags section, not relationships section).
> 
> This chapter has: **mild gore, blood, mentions of death** and **choking;** so keep that in mind and stay safe!

Silver’s hands shot up to his ears as a loud explosion left him with nothing but this deafening white noise. It happened too quickly, he had no time to react. He could have put up a barrier, dodged, anything. _Where’s Blaze?_ He tentatively opened his eyes, not fully prepared for what might wait for him. Flames covering every inch of a surface, burning hotter than ever. Pitch-black smoke was beginning to fill up the cave. Fire was melting the rocks which formed the walls of the cavern and the discharge oozing down them looked like a black tar. It made him sick to the stomach.

“!!!!” he heard a muted sound through the white noise in his ears. “!!!!” he heard again. He looked around, searching desperately for any sign of Blaze’s silhouette amongst the thick smoke. Finally, he saw her approaching with what seemed like a great struggle. She was limping and holding onto her left arm. She ran up to him with all her strengths as soon as she saw him and started speaking to him, but Silver could only catch every 3rd word. When the cat got no response from him other than a confused stare, she pulled him to his legs and lead them both towards the only exit.

The hedgehog’s hearing seemed to finally be coming back to him by the time they were outside. Blaze collapsed by the wall almost immediately. Silver stared in horror at the horrible wound on the cat’s left leg, which was bleeding severely. This had to be an artery…

“Damn it.” Blaze groaned in pain, grabbing at her left arm. “I didn’t think it would fail.”

“What happened?” he kneeled down next to her, hastily looking for some kind of clean fabric in the bag on his hip. All he had was a torn piece of cotton shawl, probably not sterile enough, but it would have to do for now. He began tending to his friend’s wound, trying to ignore the way she hissed when he touched it.

“The Sol Emeralds didn’t listen to me.” she frowned, probably just as confused as Silver was at the moment. “I think Iblis took over them for a second and because of that they got overloaded with its fiery soul. They blew up and shot out. And I…” she paused, closing her eyes, trying her best to focus. “I can’t feel them, Silver.”

“What do you mean you can’t feel them? Where are they?” he tried not to let the panic sink in. The Sol Emeralds were their last hope. If they can’t get them again, if they can’t try to imprison Iblis again, then…

“I don’t know!” she was clearly frustrated. She went quiet for a second though, her eyes going wide. “They could have scattered looking for another Sol user. If that’s the case, then they won’t be here. Not yet.” 

“Yet?” Silver finished tending to the wound on Blaze’s leg and instead moved on to her arm. He pulled up the sleeve, relieved to see no blood. What worried him though was the swollen area around the elbow. He examined it. It probably wasn’t broken, but maybe dislocated. The cat reached out into her pocket and pulled out a small orange crystal shard.

“Listen to me, Silver.” she forced the shard into his hand and held it there, looking into the golden eyes like what she was about to say was a matter of life or death. Because it was. “I need you to go back in time. I can’t go with you, someone has to stay here and make sure Mephiles doesn’t reform now that Iblis is in its prime. This is the Sol essence, it can grant me its limited powers and let me send you to the past. There’s no other Sol users in this dimension.” she paused, as if she still was unsure of what she was saying. There was no way though, Blaze always knew what she was doing, Silver thought. “But there’s one other hedgehog who’s Sol compatible, and so I’m sending you to the time he was alive. The Sol essence shard will react if you’re nearby the Sol Emerald. You have to find them and use a Chaos Emerald to go back here.”

“...” the hedgehog just stared at her in silence.

“This is important, Silver! Please, tell me you understand.”

“I’m not going to leave you here! You’re hurt!” his voice was too high for his liking, but he didn’t care in this particular moment.

“So are you.” she looked down. _Huh..?_

He looked where Blaze’s eyes traveled and his heart skipped a beat at the excessive amount of blood staining his usually white fur. There was a deep cut on the right side of his waist. He felt dizzy. Even now, as he saw the wound, he couldn’t even feel any pain. He decided the bleeding wasn’t as severe as Blaze’s leg though, so he decided to leave those worries for later and look back up.

“There’s no other way. You have to find the Sol Emeralds. And I have to keep Solaris at bay.”

“...” he couldn’t even open his mouth, his jaw stiffened.

“Silver, please, please. Go.” her voice broke at the last second. She put some more force into pushing the hedgehog away, but he wouldn’t budge. “I trust that you can carry it out, so trust me as we-”

Another large explosion was heard from the inside of the cavern. Iblis was getting impatient, it was going to emerge any moment from how it sounded. Blaze rose upright and pulled Silver with her by his wrist. She grabbed his hand, the one that was holding the Sol Essence, and stretched both of their arms ahead. A pillar of fire burnt in front of them before dissolving into a portal of some sort, white light illuminating from within.

Silver wanted to protest again, this was just not right. He should be the one staying, he was in better shape to fight! Before he could say anything though, yet another loud boom hurt his ears. Blaze let go of his hand and violently pushed him into the portal. All he could hear before the reality shifted was his friend’s voice: _Bring them back._

* * *

White light was blinding so he couldn’t help but close his eyes. It was surprisingly cold inside the portal, or maybe it was just a relative sensation of always only living in the world consumed by fire. He felt himself being pulled in a general direction, flying through nothing, until he wasn’t. Until he felt himself fall down at an alarming speed.

Silver hit the ground with a loud thud, his body finally starting to remember it’s supposed to feel pain. His hand shot down to the wound on his side, cursing under his breath. Only then did he dare opening his eyes not risking getting blinded. He looked at his surroundings. Vibrant green grass surrounded him everywhere, as well as small white puffy plants scattered here and there. The air felt so clear in his lungs it almost was overwhelming. The sky was gray, many clouds covering what Silver believed would be otherwise clear blue. That’s how Blaze described this word, but it was nothing he could ever imagine. In the distance, he could see trees. He decided he didn’t want to be out in the open like this for any longer, so he got to his feet, trying to ignore the growing pain in his side, as he headed for the forest.

His mind was a mess of mismatched thoughts. He had no idea what to do. Blaze asked him to find the Sol Emeralds, but he didn’t even know where to start. He didn’t know this world, everything felt so new and fresh. He couldn’t stop thinking about Blaze, about Iblis, about Mephiles, Solaris. If he fails Solaris is going to reform. That would be the end of everything. And it would be his fault.

He sat down under the tree when he thought he went deep enough inside the forest to be out of sight. He let himself breathe out the air he didn’t even notice he was holding, letting go of his side and looking at his hand. His glove was drenched in light red blood. It made him feel sick. He took his glove off and stored it in his bag, looking through it hoping to find any kind of fabric, not even fooling himself that he’d find any bandage. They’ve used the last one a long time ago. There was nothing though, no fabrics, no cotton, no alcohol, nothing. They were all out. What was he going to do if it got infected? He wouldn’t be able to complete his mission, Blaze would be in so much danger. His breathing quickened.

He held out his hand and looked at the Sol Essence. This was supposed to help him, wasn’t it? That’s what Blaze said, but… He didn’t really understand how it’d work. He wasn’t like Blaze, he wasn’t Sol compatible. He felt nothing when holding a Sol Emerald, no warmth or energy. What if the Sol Essence would only help him if he could control the Sol? But wasn’t there someone else who was Sol compatible in those times? That’s what she said. He’d have to find them.

Before he could get up again, the Essence started moving in his hand. He gasped, his sudden surprise almost making him drop the shard. It nudged again, and again. It probably reacted to something. A Sol Emerald? There’s no way he’d be this lucky. Was he supposed to head in the direction the Essence was moving in? He supposed he doesn’t have anything to lose, he has no idea where to go anywhere. He rose, pressing one hand to his side and clenching the Sol Shard in the other.

* * *

_ The readings were off the charts. There must have been so anomaly going on, so it’s the best to check it out before anyone else did. It’s best to be the first for everything. What if it’s the Chaos Emerald? Finders keepers! _

… is what Vector said before sending Espio out in a general direction of a sudden energy spike. But what was he even looking for? All seven Emeralds were in safety, far away from Eggman’s reach. One wouldn’t just randomly change its location unless it was completely drained, and everything has been quite peaceful lately. Why would this idiot even think it’s a Chaos Emerald? Way to put too much unpaid work on his head.

But since he asked him to oh so nicely, he checked the place, and nothing seemed out of ordinary. No Emeralds, or any other precious gems. Maybe the radars just needed maintenance. Espio made a mental note to check them out later. He was already turning on his heel when something caught his eye. A few feet away in the grass, barely noticeable red splotches. _Blood..?_ He approached, making sure to not touch any of it and kneeled in front of it. It sure seemed like it. It was dark red and thick, but not yet dried out. It couldn’t have been longer than an hour. He looked around. There was another smaller red spot a few feet away. And another a little further. He started following the trail, the curiosity getting the better of him. It worried him but it also thrilled him greatly.

The blood patches were getting less frequent until he entered the forest, there seeing a bigger puddle under one of the trees which was much lighter in color than previous ones. It made his heart skip a beat. Was he getting close to the source of all this mess? Extensive amount of blood clearly meant someone got hurt, but could it be somehow related to the energy spikes? Was there a fight going on? Was someone trying to hide the evidence? There were so many questions on his mind and all of them could be just as probable. If someone asked him, Espio would never admit this situation was filling him with excitement, making his heart beat faster. Just when was the last time he had any case to work on? Everything’s been peaceful and nobody needs any help from professionals, which objectively is very good. But subjectively, he was getting bored. The chameleon shook his head, realizing he’s been spacing out. He needed to focus, the situation could possibly get dangerous so concentration was the most important right now. He kept following the trail of red.

He was walking for about 5 minutes, blood stains getting fainter and much less frequent. At one point he wasn’t sure where to go anymore, no signs of red in between the green anywhere, until his own blood ran cold at the sound of rustling nearby. He instinctively changed color, making sure not to get spotted as he went on in the noise’s direction, avoiding any bush and stray branch that could give away his presence.

That’s when he saw someone. The stranger Espio thought to be taller than him on the first sight, fur covering their body mat ecru, in some places dirty pink and red. That obviously had to come from a deep cut on their side. From what he could tell, they were a hedgehog, a porcupine or perhaps some other quilled creature, not being able to see the person’s face just yet. They were about 10 meters away, their back turned to him as they seemed to be examining the bark of an old birch. Espio hid behind a nearby tree, hoping to approach close enough without getting spotted. Unfortunately for the stranger, forests were the chameleon’s forte. He was practically invisible when surrounded by various plants and bushes. As he got closer, he noticed the other’s hand was actually inside a hollow of the tree. He inched a bit closer to see. Their hand retreated, holding a green gem of some sorts. He had a feeling he’s seen it before. He had a feeling it had some connection to Sonic. _An Emerald..?_

“Who’s there?” the stranger’s head turned in Espio’s direction, as he instantly halted all the motions and held his breath. Did he make a noise? Impossible, he’s a professional, he wouldn’t have made a mistake. They couldn’t have seen him either, right? “Show yourself! I know you’re here!” they made a step in his direction, not looking directly at him, but obviously aware someone was there. The chameleon still stood still though, hoping the other would just give up or blame it on some small animal. The silence stretched on. “... What do you want with me?”

Espio realized he wouldn't be getting out of that one when the person, a hedgehog, took a few more steps in his directions, now staring blatantly at him from 3 meters away, their eyes kind of unfocused. He was sure they couldn’t see him yet, how could they, but they knew he was right in that spot. He let himself turn his usual purple color, and the instant he did, the other jumped back, putting their arms up, the green gem still in their right hand, obviously startled and ready to defend. 

“Who are you?” their voice wavered, but you wouldn’t be able to tell their insecurity by the intensity in their golden eyes.

“I’m not here for trouble.” Espio spoke calmly, as always, putting his arms up in a calming gesture. “I followed the trails of blood and they lead me to you.”

The other’s position didn’t change, still standing strong and stable, like an animal ready to attack any second. It was unnerving to Espio to say the least, very reluctant to start a fight with an already evidently hurt kid. The both of them remained quiet, and the tension was almost so dense you could cut it with a knife. The chameleon tried again.

“That’s an interesting gem you’ve got there. Mind telling me what it is?” he put his hand on his hip. “And maybe what you need it for?”

“What’s that to you?” they hissed out, gripping the gem tighter in their hand. “I’ve got my reasons.”

“No need to be getting aggressive.” he sighed, trying not to let the irritation be heard in his voice. “Although this kind of attitude is starting to give me my own suspicions. Could it possibly be related to Eggman?”

The hedgehog’s only response was silence, although there was no reaction on their face either. _So not Eggman, huh..?_

“It seems to be quite a powerful gem, I can tell.” he went on. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been quite liking how peaceful it’s been lately around here. Really wouldn’t appreciate something unpleasant going on out of sudden.”

“I can’t see the connection.”

“I’d like it if that was the case for me as well.” he scoffed, shaking his head. “But I have no reason to trust a complete stranger with a potential weapon.”

“I have no reason to engage with the likes of you.” they frowned harder, taking a step back. “I’m leaving, don’t get in my wa-”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

“Huh?”

“The energy this gem possesses is on par with a Chaos Emerald. Give me a single reason to believe you mean no harm or else I’ll be taking that.” he put his right hand on the handle of the kunai secured on his hip, his eyes not leaving the other’s for a second.

“... This doesn’t belong to you. I’ve been given a mission from the guardian to collect those.” another step back. Espio could see a hint of panic on their face as their back quills touched the tree behind them. _Good._

“Who’s the guardian?”

“...”

“...” the chameleon clicked his tongue before unsheathing the blade and getting a strong grip on it. “Hand it over.”

“I have no time for this.”

“Then start talking.” he was getting impatient by every second. This guy was way too suspicious to have no ulterior motives. It was getting on his nerves. He widened his stance and took a stable position.

“There’s nothing to talk about. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Alright.”

Espio charged forward instantly, not giving the hedgehog even a second to realize what was happening. At least that’s what he thought until the blunt end of his blade handle missed the other by an inch. They dodged. He quickly moved out of the way, realizing he’s absolutely defenseless, behind the stranger’s back. He grabbed their arm, prompting for them to drop the gem, as he swiftly caught it with his tail.

“Thank you.” in a split of a second he made his way to one of the birch’s sturdier branches and sat on it, taking the gem in his hand and inspecting it. It was a size of a palm, bright green in color with an emerald cut. He couldn’t feel any energy coming off it, but from the looks alone he could tell it was no ordinary jewel. There was no time to enjoy the gem though, since the moment later it was ripped out of his hand. _What..?_

A cyan aura embraced the green stone, as it was pulled straight into the hedgehog’s hand as if those were two magnets. They broke into a run in the opposite direction, not sparing the chameleon even a glance. Espio stared in awe for longer than he dared to admit but he had to follow the stranger. He tried to stay on the higher level, jumping from one tree branch to another, hoping this would save him some time from tripping over bushes. Luckily, the stranger didn’t seem to be in very good shape. Assuming all those blood stains were their own blood, that was probably the reason. It was way too easy to spot their light fur in the greenery of the forest, Espio had the upper hand. He changed his colors, making sure the other wouldn’t see him, as he charged again. He had a perfect shot at them.

The hedgehog dodged, but in doing so, they tripped over a rather large boulder. _Again!?_ The chameleon, visible again thanks to the absolute bewilderment, jumped to the stranger and pressed them flush against the mossy ground. He held their arms above their head with one hand, taking the gem back with the other. He put his entire weight on the other’s hips, but no longer underestimated them. He knew he could be thrown off at any second, and he had to get a hold of this stone.

“Pretty impressive.” he tried his best to not let his voice sound anything but calm as he stored the gem in the leather bag on his hip, fastening it tightly as smoothly as he could with one hand.

“... You have no idea what you’re doing.” the other murmured, their voice much lower than Espio suspected it could go.

“Enlighten me then.”

“Please, give it back.” If Espio wasn’t still on the edge from the whole ordeal going on, he would probably notice just how tired the hedgehog sounded.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” the chameleon said. “Unless you tell me why you nee-”

The hedgehog’s golden eyes flashed cyan as Espio felt himself being blown away. He hit a massive oak a few feet away with a groan and for a second could see only white. As his vision returned to him, he could slowly start making out what’s in front of him, that being the stranger’s face. Angry eyes shining cyan were staring deep into his soul. Their quills were incredibly messy and dull, and were the same dirty ecru color as their mat fur. It was lighter around their eyes though, almost pure light, so Espio assumed that was their actual fur color, as he suspected. Their muzzle was a very pale chocolate brown, and from underneath very fine dark pelage he could spot light freckles as well as an about two inches long scar under their right eye. He looked lower and saw two scrawny arms extended towards him. The stranger’s hands were both on his neck, their thumb pressing harshly against his throat. _Ah…_

He tried to move his arms to get away, but there was some insanely strong force holding him put. He couldn’t breathe, but he couldn’t let himself panic, there had to be a way out of this. His lungs were starting to burn though.

“You have no idea what the situation is.” the hedgehog said in a monotone voice.

He tried to struggle out of the grip harder and harder, but the hold on him wouldn’t ease a bit. His vision was starting to blur out slowly. He saw some red trickle down from the stranger’s nose.

“This is a matter of life and death.”

His eyes saw nothing but complete white by then. He struggled still trying to get a single breath, just one. Foolishly, he didn’t give up. He couldn’t give up. He couldn’t give up _again_.

Then, he fell to the ground. His lungs burnt so much when he could finally breathe in. He heard a thump next to him and when his vision settled a little bit, he saw it’s the hedgehog’s unconscious body. He tried to settle his breathing but it took him solid 5 minutes before he was able to even move from his place, still in deep shock.

He moved closer to the body. The stranger was lying on their stomach, eyes closed and breathing shallow. He used all of his remaining strength to move them on their back and cringed at the sight of the wound on their side, which appeared to be bleeding much more severely than before. They must have passed out from blood loss. This was very bad.

Espio brought his wrist watch to his mouth after activating it.

“Vector, track me.” he croaked out, his throat still hurting. “I’ll need you guys here. There was an accident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you for reading!**  
>  Please, let me know in the comments what you think!
> 
> I hope you don't find the writing too hectic and messy, I'm still pretty much a beginner at this, but I appreciate some thoughtful advice!


	2. Questioning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took forever to write!  
> I'm not a writer, and I only really write when I'm inspired. This fic is really just something I write to relax, it's very self-indulgent haha
> 
> I don't think this chapter has anything that needs a warning, but if there's anything please let me know!

_“You think it might have something to do with Sonic?”_

_“Is there anyone else that comes to mind?”_

_“We could ask Knuckles. He knows his shiny trinkets-”_

_“This isn’t a Chaos Emerald, Vector. And he barely even understands what those are.”_

_“But- how do you even expect to get to him? Nobody knows where he’s off to when stuff are quiet.”_

_“...”_

Silver shifted, the muffled voices from behind the door waking him up. He felt numb all over his body but he did feel a rather rough yet warm blanket on top of him, making him feel cozy. His eyes opened, still having a hard time to focus though, and he scanned the surroundings. He was in a small, quite empty room. There wasn’t much except for a single chair by the window, through which he could see the bright orange sky, and a wooden closet next to it. The yellow wallpaper was visibly peeling off, showing gray walls underneath. The floor was made out of some light wood, what would usually give out a cold feeling, but the old beige carpet in the middle warmed the whole room up. There was an old nightstand next to the bed he was lying in with a small lamp and an empty picture frame.

The hedgehog tried to sit up, but the piercing pain shot through his side, his hand immediately going down to press to the aching spot. He put his face down and groaned in the pillow, but the sound was apparently loud enough to bring the outside conversation to a halt. There was complete silence for a second, before the door made a creaking noise. Silver looked up and saw a silhouette of someone entering the room. Someone very big and very green. He closed the door behind himself.

“Hello, sleeping beauty.” the reptile said with a rather booming voice. He made his way to the chair by the window and sat down. Silver’s eyes weren’t leaving his for a second. “How are we feeling?”

“...” the hedgehog touched his side. Only now did he notice he was wearing bandages. “Chewed up and spit out.”

“Sounds pretty awesome.”

“Who are you?” he looked around the room again. “And where am I?”

“I could ask you the same thing, honestly.” the other laughed, but Silver didn’t quite understand why. The green guy shifted his weight forward, leaning his muscular arms on his knees, a huge smirk spread on his face. “Vector the Crocodile. The leader of Chaotix. Nice to meet ya.” he winked. Silver thought it’s gross. “You’re in our headquarters.”

“... Why am I here?”

“You got hurt badly and passed out from blood loss when you ran into Espio.”

“...” he frowned, trying to remember. That had to be the purple guy, right? Suddenly he remembered: the Sol Emerald. He sat up, ignoring the pain in his side, but before he could get up, the crocodile, Vector, ran up to him and held him down.

“Woah there, buddy. What’s the rush?” he laughed, but up closed, Silver could tell he was obviously uncomfortable. “You can’t move yet, your wound will reopen.”

“He took the Sol Emerald. I need it back.” he said, still trying to force himself out of the other’s grip, to no avail.

“Sol Eme-? Look, we’ve got it safe, so you lie back down.”

“You don’t understand- I need it now!” his voice raised an octave. “I need to leave right now and find the other 6!”

“Calm down!”

The knocking on the door made both of them stop. It opened and the purple reptile from before entered with a tray. He avoided Silver’s eyes, only looking at Vector.

“I’ll take it from here.” he walked up to the nightstand and set the tray on it. There were a glass of water, and two white pills. “I already contacted Tails and asked him to get in touch with Knuckles. He’ll get back to us in a while. Go look after Charmy, will you?”

“Will you be oka-”

“Just go.”

The other did so, not before hesitating by the door for a second. Silver starred at the closed door, listening to the footsteps. The purple guy sighed, and sat down on the edge of the bed, only then bringing his eyes to the hedgehog.

“We have your gem and nothing is going to happen to it. Stop being difficult.”

“Difficult?” Silver was baffled. “You have no idea what’s going to happen if I don’t get all of those!”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to learn shortly, because you’re not leaving this bed until we remove your stitches.” his voice was as calm as when they first met and it drove the hedgehog crazy. He groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“I can’t believe you! My entire world is at stakes here and you’re just-!”

“Stop being so vague and actually tell us what’s going on.” he sighed. “We’re not the bad guys here, we might actually help you if you explain why it’s so important.”

“There’s no time for explaining!”

“You’re stuck here either way so you might as well talk.”

He groaned in his hands again and sat like this for solid 5 minutes, neither of them breaking the silence. It annoyed Silver how the other, Espio was it, was just sitting in silence, patiently. It was infuriating. He was so confident Silver was going to break and he was absolutely right. But not yet. 

He looked up from his hands, now having calmed down a little, he paid attention to the other sitting in front of him. The reptile’s body was covered in purple scales, except for his chest to stomach area, which seemed to be a much softer skin, peach in color. He noted a black bandana on his neck, which he swore wasn’t there before. Silver looked up. His two slits of pupils were piercing right through him, it made him feel completely exposed. Warm golden hue. It reminded him of Blaze. There was a yellow rostral horn in between his eyes and two nubs above his eyebrows, which only seemed to have started growing not too long ago, considering their much brighter color.

Espio sighed loudly, getting to his feet and giving Silver the dirtiest of looks. The hedgehog shifted his jaw and made the biggest effort not to let any comments about the other’s mighty attitude slip off his tongue. He didn’t want trouble. He just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

“You probably need rest. The wound wasn’t pretty and we’re not doctors, the stitchwork is actually quite messy so I can’t let you strain yourself.” his tone became monotone, almost as if he was reading off a script. It made Silver feel a little less vulnerable for some reason. “You’ve got aspirin on the tray, you’re going to want it.”

“... Aspirin?”

“It’s for the pain.” he turned around and headed to the door. “And inflammation if it comes to it.”

Silver looked at the nightstand and reached out for one of the white pills. It didn’t smell like anything.

“I’m going to be back later to check up on you, but it’s getting late so you should probably try to sleep.” he paused before going through the door, just to give the hedgehog the last dirty look. He frowned back. “If I were you, I’d rethink what should or shouldn’t be told until tomorrow.”

When the door finally closed, Silver sighed deeply and turned to the pill in his hand. He brought it to his mouth and touched it with his tongue, what resulted in him wincing at the foul taste. He guessed that’s what the water was for.

* * *

Espio sat at the table with a cup of tea, staring at the screen of his phone with unseeing eyes. He took another sip, once again failing to remember the tea was still scolding hot. He didn’t pay it much mind. He was going to do the same thing in 20 seconds anyway. He couldn’t focus on anything. There was way too much on his mind; the situation in the forest still fresh in his mind. He felt foolish for getting caught off guard. By some random kid nonetheless. But the fact he was so close to losing a fight means this isn’t just some random hedgehog. The only reason he didn’t lose was because the kid was hurt badly. Of course something like this would put a wound on his pride. He wasn’t unreasonable, right?

He shook his head and looked at the phone again. Nothing. He just needed Tails to call him back. If this stranger doesn’t talk, he’ll get the information from the fox boy. There’s no way he’s risking this hedgehog causing trouble right now, when things are getting peaceful. It’d be even worse if around the same time, Eggman woke up from his seasonal slumber, or whatever was keeping him from wreaking havoc for the past few months.

_This weird Emerald…_ He couldn’t feel any energy from it, but he knew it wasn’t just a piece of rock. It was too important to this kid. What if it’s as powerful as Chaos Emeralds? Or even more? Yeah, he’s not giving it to this stranger unless Tails tells him there’s no danger in it.

“How did it go?”

He jumped at Vector’s sudden appearance. He didn’t even notice him coming in.

“As you can see, pretty great.” he murmured, looking back to the phone. Still nothing. “At least I got him to sleep. I checked on him like half an hour ago and he was already out cold.”

“At least this much, huh?” he laughed under his breath, taking a sit next to the chameleon. “Still no name?”

“Nothing.” he sighed, bringing the cup up to his mouth. He frowned. _Still hot._ “Did you put Charmy to sleep?”

“Barely.” he said, still smirking. He looked in the direction of the corridor, where Charmy’s bedroom was. “He’s worried about you.”

“Why would he be?” he asked with confusion clear in his voice, going as far as lifting his gaze off the phone to the crocodile, who was now staring very intently at the lamp hanging off the ceiling, giving out a dim warm light.

“By ‘he’ I mean ‘I’.” he chuckled. “But he’s not dumb either, he knows something’s off.” he met Espio’s eyes momentarily before looking away again. “So, what happened between you two? In the forest.”

“... Look, it’s really not that deep.” Espio sighed, bringing his hand up to massage his temple. “We fought, but it wasn’t even a proper fight and more of a game of tag.”

“‘Not a proper fight’ but when we arrive, one of you is out from severe blood loss and the other pretty much on the verge of collapsing, huh? I’m concerned about what you consider a ‘proper’ fight.”

“I didn’t do anything to him. He was already hurt when I found him.”

“You’ve been acting distant ever since Charmy and I came to pick you two up.”

“There’s just a lot on my mind. I want him to start telling us things, but he’s just so stubborn.” he groaned. “Almost as stubborn as you.” he covered his face, his words muffled by his hands. “He’s so annoying, honestly. He keeps saying all those things about ‘his world’ as if I’m supposed to know what he means, but when I question, he just refuses to elaborate. Where’s the logic in it?”

“If it bothers you so much why are you taking charge in this case? I can take your place, maybe he just needs a little force-”

“It won’t work.” he finally decided to put his phone down, instead grabbing the teacup in his two hands, enjoying the warmth of it in his palms. “I feel like patience is the way with this one. If you push him too hard he’s just going to fight back. And I’m certain I have much more patience than him. Let’s wait it out.”

“Espio.” Vector finally turned to him, the seemingly perpetual smirk gone off his face. “Don’t force yourself.”

“... I will take this case.” he said in a stern voice.

“Why? He’s a pain to you. I’m sure I could handle his shenanigans better.”

“I’m intrigued.”

The crocodile remained silent, waiting for the other to elaborate. Espio decided he didn’t like it when Vector got serious. It felt unnatural.

“He saw through my camouflage.” he finally said. “I know it’s not that big of a deal, but it’s never happened before - not like this.”

“Did he hear you?”

“No. He _saw_ me.” the chameleon groaned, bringing his hand up to pull the bandana up to his muzzle. “Nobody has ever seen me. I’ve had my disguise discovered, I’ve slipped up in the past and was found out because of noise or lack of focus. But I was at my best there, Vector. And he _saw_ me.”

“That’s… concerning.”

“I think it has something to do with his weird powers.” he said more to himself than to Vector. “It really threw me off guard.” he brought his other hand to his throat. “And I underestimated him greatly. At one point, I even got scared. Can you imagine? Me? Scared of this kid?” he laughed hollowly. “Maybe I’m becoming soft.”

Vector chuckled, putting his hand on Espio’s shoulder and squeezing lightly. “It’s not always a bad thing, y’know? And sometimes, acknowledging your weakness is a sign of true strength.”

“Were you hanging out with Vanilla instead of working again?”

“Can’t prove me anything.” he winked. “You think I’m not smart enough to know those things?”

“I think you’re not smart, period.” the chameleon’s mouth stretched into a sly smirk at the sound of his boss’ gasp of utter betrayal.

* * *

A knock on the door brought Silver out of his wandering mind. He turned his head from the window he was currently standing by, watching the orange sky lazily changing its color to grayish blue. It was fascinating - the sky at home was always red, no matter the time of the day.

The door opened as a familiar emotionless face greeted him. The purple reptile was carrying the same tray as the other day, this time with a small bowl of something steamy with a sweet smell, and a mug with something just as hot in it. He winced and looked back to the window.

“So you’re feeling better?” Silence. “I told you not to strain yourself anyway. Take it easy.” Silver kept quiet, and after a moment he just heard a sigh and footsteps leading to the bed. The tray being put down on the same spot as before. A creek of the bed, Espio sitting on it. “I brought you food. Don’t expect anything great though, Vector was on breakfast duty today.”

The hedgehog kept his ground, looking intently at the world outside. He looked at the leaves, all in the shades of yellow and orange. He looked at the dirty green grass. He looked at the sparse dark clouds. There was a particularly big one approaching. He clenched his teeth and turned to the guy sitting on the bed. “Please, let me go.”

“... I’ve already told you I can’t. I can’t risk you causing any damage around here, and I, frankly, don’t trust you.”

“Will you let me go if I talk?” he fiddled with his cuff. They were starting to feel incredibly tight. It was overwhelming.

“I can’t promise you that. You’re hurt after all. But if your plans don’t endanger anyone, we might be willing to help you.” Espio stood up, the look on his face difficult to read for SIlver. He wasn’t good at reading expressions, but if he were to guess, he’d say it’s determination.

“I _have_ to leave.”

“You _have_ to rest and get better. Or you won’t leave at all.” there was a longer pause. “So? Are you willing to talk or be stubborn some more?” his tone changed from monotone to annoyed in a matter of seconds. Was he patronizing him?

Silver glared at him in silence, trying his best not to snap. _The nerve of this guy-_

“Alright.” the reptile headed for the door, making sure to put as much acid into his voice as possible. “Lay off on this childish attitude. You’re going to get yourself hurt. Not everyone is as patient as me.” he closed the door behind himself, probably harder than intended.

The hedgehog let himself cool off for a second, then went to sit on the bed and finally groaned in frustration. _Who did this guy think he was?_ Treating him like this, keeping him imprisoned. He has no idea what the situation is! And why does he assume he’s entitled to know? This mission is Silver’s alone, it’s only going to get more complicated if other people get involved. Time travel is too complicated even for him to understand. He just has to find the Emeralds and get back home. Blaze is waiting, fighting all alone. He can’t leave his friend like this. Yes, he could just open the window right now and leave, but what good will it do if he doesn’t get the Sol Emerald those guys took from him back? Him and Blaze need every single one if they want it to work.

He halted his overthinking and froze. Someone was in the room. He was too frustrated to realize at the time, but someone entered the room with Espio. They didn’t leave with him though. They were…… below him? He brought his feet up so he could kneel, and then leaned down, to look underneath the bed.

There he was met with big bright amber eyes. And then a toothy smile. “Hi!”

He fell back, pressing to the wall behind him, the surprise getting a better of him. “Who are you?!”

The person came out from under the bed, stretching their arms and wings. “Who are _you_?” they pointed at him with a fake scowl. Their voice was very high pitched, and it seemed like they were unable to properly pronounce r’s.

“I asked you first!”

“I asked you second!”

“What are you doing here?” his own voice broke on the last word. _Just what was going on?_

“I live here!” he chuckled, saying it as if it was the most obvious thing.

“N-no, that’s not what I-” he paused, taking a deep breath to compose himself. It failed. “What were you doing under the bed?”

“Ooooh.” they scratched the back of their head, which was covered in messy black hair. One of their antennae tilted to the side as they stuck their tongue out. “Espio and Vector don’t let me talk to the convicts.”

“Conv- I’m not a convict!” Or maybe he was? Was that why he really couldn’t leave? No way.

“You’re in the convict room though!”

“I’m just stuck here until I’ve recovered!”

“Recovered?” the small insect bopped their head to the side. “Are you sick?”

“Not sick- Hurt…” he sighed, not entirely sure who this tiny person was and why they were asking him all those weird questions.

“I’m Charmy! Charmy Bee!” they- he reached out his small hand for a handshake, his smile growing even wider, what Silver believed was impossible a second ago. “What’s your name?”  
  


  
“... You don’t need my name.” he looked away, ignoring the other’s outstretched hand. The less people he involves, the better. It’s no good to meddle with the past…

“Should I just call you The Convict Guy then?”

“........ Ugh.” he groaned looking back at the bee boy, noticing a sly grin on his face. It seemed uncomfortably familiar. “It’s Silver.”

“Cool! Are you a hedgehog? Your quills look weird!” Charmy chuckled, sitting down cross-legged on the floor. Silver just nodded, not bothering to hide how uncomfortable he was with the whole ordeal. “You look very different from Sonic! Or Amy, or Shadow! Although they look very different from each other too, so it would only make sense…” the boy made a face as if he was thinking very hard. Perhaps he was. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around, I’d remember someone like this!”

“I came from a different place. I’m here for my mission.” he guessed he’s not getting rid of this kid that easily.

“Woah! A mission! So cool!” Silver could practically see the stars in the other’s eyes sparkle as the excitement only grew, lacing the Charmy's voice. “Vector sometimes lets me go on missions too! Only when they’re not dangerous though, so that sucks.” he pouted.

“Vector is… the crocodile guy, right?” he asked, hoping the bee boy would tell him a little more about the people who kept him captive.

“Yeah! He’s super big and strong!” he made a muscle flexing gesture with his small scrawny arms. “He’s also a huge dork! Good thing he has a smart guy like me to help him!” he giggled under his breath. “And I guess Espio too. But I help more!”

“Espio?”

“Yeah! He’s the one who brought you here, right?”

“We… didn’t really talk much.” he scratched the back of his head.

“Espio’s very uncool! He makes me sleep before 10 and doesn’t let me eat junk food! But…” Charmy put a finger on his chin, considering something. “... he is pretty cool when he fights so I guess I forgive him.”

“Doesn’t seem that cool to me.” Silver mumbled, looking away. “More of a jerk than anything else, honestly.” 

“Vector says he’s a jerk because he cares!”

“I don’t think that’s the case for me.” he chuckled hollowly. “For me, it’s more of ‘he’s a jerk because he hates you’.”

“You had to give him a reason to, then! Because he doesn’t hate easily, I think. He’s always all boring and stoic. I rarely see him angry!” he paused. “And he’s been very weird since you came here, y’know?” his voice got lower here. It made Silver feel a little bad. This was just a kid after all, and he was interfering with his life, wasn’t he?

“I probably gave him more than one reason.” he laughed again, but stopped when he felt a pang in his side. He probably was straining himself too much. He was sure he’d be fine though.

He jumped as he heard a muffled voice yelling “ _Charmy!_ ” from some other room. And the one being called just sighed and jumped to his feet. “I have to go. Nice meeting you, Silver!” he ran to the door, and turned around before opening it once more. “Please, don’t tell them I was here, okay?”

“Uh… Sure?” he said, but in reality wasn’t so sure. This whole situation was quite bizarre.

The bee boy left the room and Silver listened to fast-paced footsteps getting farther and farther. He sighed, deciding he’s not going to think too much about it. He had enough headaches as it was, he didn’t have to bother with something so insignificant.

He turned to the tray Espio had left him earlier. The food in the bowl was no longer steaming, neither was the dark liquid in the mug. He reached out for the dish and the spoon, giving it a closer look. It seemed to be some kind of yellowish goo substance with small red pieces mixed in. It smelled sweet and it made Silver’s mouth water. He has never smelled anything like this before. He’s never grown to enjoy eating food much. It was already sparse enough at home, and when they got to eat, it was never anything that tasted good, and sometimes didn’t even have a taste at all. Food was there only so you could have energy to fight the flames. Nothing more to it. But the smell of this mysterious goo alone made Silver realize he’s probably been missing out. He put some of the substance on the spoon and brought it to his face. Tentatively, he put it in his mouth and let the taste erupt.

He hasn’t even realized he’s been crying as he still held the now empty bowl in his shaking hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Thank you for reading!**
> 
> I hope you liked it! Comments are super appreciated! I don't reply much, because I'm socially awkward but I read and appreciate every single one of them, I promise!


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